Chapter 440: Personal Maid Acquired
"My dear, come and try this, it's a Viennese vanilla shortbread cake." Queen Mary fed the cake to her son, then asked, "You've only been back a month from Austria, why are you going again?"
A unique vanilla flavor instantly filled Joseph's mouth, yet it wasn't cloyingly sweet like the cakes his mother usually served.
"Ah, this tastes excellent. Your pastry chef has made great progress."
Joseph casually praised the dessert, then moved on to serious matters:
"Uncle is preparing to launch a large-scale campaign in Silesia. You know, I have to go show him my support."
"I truly hope the war ends soon." Queen Mary shook her head, then suddenly remembered something and looked at her son. "Are you planning to go to the battlefield again?"
"Uh... I'll be far from the front lines, don't worry. There will be absolutely no danger."
Queen Mary took his hand and spoke with sincere and earnest words:
"My dear, I know you are destined for great achievements, and I will support you fully. But you must promise me to stay far from danger! Don't let your father and me receive any heartbreaking news."
"Also, I always tell you, when you travel far, you must bring chefs. They can keep your stomach happy. Oh, and pastry chefs and musicians – no matter how busy you are, you need time to relax, don't you? You should also bring a tailor, a cobbler, a beautician... and several maids. You can't always make Eman handle so many troublesome things by himself..."
Joseph's face instantly darkened. 'Mother, I'm going to the front lines to lead troops. If I bring so many servants, I won't be able to do anything else.'
"Well, ahem, the cake is quite special," he tried to change the subject. "I wonder if Vienna will be very cold lately..."
The Queen was about to continue her nagging when Camelia, dressed in a long white gown, quickly approached and curtsied to her:
"Your Majesty, were you looking for me? Ah, Your Royal Highness, you're here too? It's a pleasure to see you."
Queen Mary offered a gentle smile and waved her over:
"My dear, your desserts are simply wonderful! I think Mr. Cécilien will be worried about his position, hehe."
"My mother taught me all this," Camelia said. "She used to be a pastry chef for Archduke Ferdinand."
Queen Mary noticed the sweat on her forehead and said softly:
"You can leave the cleaning and such to Betina and the others. You don't need to..."
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered her son praising Camelia's delicious cake earlier. This girl was so diligent and capable, worth several maids on her own. A thought instantly struck her: if Camelia accompanied Joseph to Austria, she could at least take care of his meals and daily needs on the journey.
Queen Mary immediately looked at Camelia:
"My dear, would you be willing to help me look after the Crown Prince's meals and daily needs, and accompany him to Austria?"
Camelia's heart instantly pounded. She couldn't help but recall her teacher's words, and after a moment of surprise, she quickly nodded and said:
"Of-of course, Your Majesty, I would be honored to travel with His Royal Highness."
Joseph was greatly surprised and quickly interjected:
"Mother, this might not be..."
Queen Mary immediately feigned a stern expression:
"Then you can take three chefs, five maids, and also..."
"Ah, fine, alright," Joseph surrendered. "Please stop. I'll take her, is that good enough?"
That afternoon, Joseph's convoy departed for Austria.
In the third carriage of the convoy, Camelia politely smiled and nodded to Perna, who sat opposite her. General Berthier was discussing matters in the Crown Prince's carriage, so Camelia had to share one with the female doctor.
Perna quickly nodded in return, but her mind was elsewhere. 'Isn't this girl Queen Mary's maid? How did she end up with His Royal Highness now?'
'Did she insist on coming herself, or did His Royal Highness specifically request her... No, no, why am I even thinking about this?'
In Joseph's carriage, Berthier said:
"Your Royal Highness, twelve thousand Bulletproof Inserts have been packaged as uniforms and are being transported to Silesia as you requested."
A set of Bulletproof Inserts consists of five plates, enough to equip one soldier.
Joseph nodded:
"It's crucial to ensure they arrive on time. They will be vital for us to defeat the Prussians."
Berthier then looked at the map on the table and said:
"Your Royal Highness, the Duke of Brunswick has deployed nearly 200 cannons on the western front of Liegnitz. If we try to break through the Prussian defenses, I fear we will suffer very heavy casualties."
"You are correct," Joseph replied, his expression equally somber.
Silesia was different from the Southern Netherlands; it was purely "enemy-occupied territory," a heavily fortified region where troop movements and logistical supplies were highly efficient. The French army would face a very difficult situation.
"Therefore, we must avoid a frontal assault on the Prussian defenses."
...
Southern Donbas.
Yekaterinoslav.
This peculiar place name commemorated Catherine II's great achievements in conquering the Crimea region.
However, at this time, apart from a rather makeshift town, it was essentially still a wasteland.
Indeed, the vast territory stretching from Donbas to Crimea had a population of less than 700,000, yet its area was larger than the Netherlands combined with the Southern Netherlands!
Viscount Olivier, the owner of Sirk Steel Company, stood on a barren hilltop, feeling extremely uneasy.
He had invested half his fortune in Russia this time. If the colossal coal and iron mine that the Crown Prince spoke of wasn't found, he would face the risk of bankruptcy.
A Captain rode up on horseback, calling out loudly:
"Commander, the laborers have arrived. How should we arrange them?"
The Donbas Development Team consisted of 170 people. Viscount Olivier, having invested the most, served as its Commander. The Deputy Commander was Captain Lemair, a former Lieutenant in the Guards Corps, whom Joseph had assigned to manage the team's military affairs.
Viscount Olivier peered through his Telescope towards the foot of the hill. Sure enough, a winding procession was faintly visible amidst the wild grasses, numbering at least a thousand.
He tugged on the reins and followed Captain Lemair back to the camp:
"No special arrangements. Have them level the ground and use weeds to fashion some shelters for themselves against the wind and rain. In this godforsaken place, we won't need to push them; they won't be lazy."
Moments later, the two returned to the camp with their escorts. The "camp," so-called, was actually a large, cleared plot of land with seven or eight wooden shacks and many tents erected on it.
By then, hundreds of unkempt laborers, dressed in North African-style garments, had streamed into the camp. Captain Lemair quickly spurred his horse forward and instructed the soldiers:
"Have them expand the camp area and build quarters! They'll only eat after their work is done!"
Immediately, someone shouted the instructions to the laborers in Arabic, and the crowd dispersed with a rumble, each picking up tools and beginning to work.
These were the laborers Joseph was using for the Donbas development. A portion consisted of prisoners of war from Algiers and Tripoli, with the dark-skinned ones belonging to the Moroccan Janissaries. After several wars in North Africa, the number of captives wasn't exceedingly high, but there were still three to four thousand, and these prisoners were all strong, able-bodied workers.
Algiers dared not even request the return of their prisoners. According to Ottoman tradition, soldiers captured in war would face severe punishment if they returned, some even becoming slaves. Thus, many of the prisoners from Tripoli were unwilling to go back. Of course, even if they wanted to, Joseph wouldn't release them.
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